Drug Tests For Those Who Need Temporary Assistance From the States.

"Florida is the first state that will require drug testing when applying for welfare (effective July 1st)! Some people are crying this is unconstitutional. How is this unconstitutional yet it's okay that every working person had to pass a drug test in order to support those on welfare? Re-post if you agree!! Let's get Welfare back to the one's who NEED it, not those that just WANT it!"

I copied and pasted this from someone's Facebook status, NOT BECAUSE I AGREE WITH IT, but because I can't keep typing the same thing over and over and over on the status of others. You can disagree with my thoughts on this, feel free to comment and tell me why I am wrong, and I will return the favor.

First, let's look at the original post. "Some people are crying this is unconstitutional" Well, not just SOME people, actually, but those in the long black robes. You've heard of them. SCOTUS. Yes, the Supreme Court of the United States, those 9 people created by that Constitution whose soul job it so interpret that Constitution. And they have stated that blanket drug testing is not acceptable unless there is a basis for it. A basis such as the appearance that a person is using drugs, drug paraphernalia, etc, in lawyer speak that's called "probable cause," and it can't be based on a person's race, sex, sexual orientation, or religion. According to the SCOTUS blanket drug testing is a violation of a person's right to privacy and their protection against unreasonable search and seizure (pesky ol' Constitution!!!!).  The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed blanket suspicion-less drug testing only if "the risk to public safety is substantial and real." Walker vs Georgia (I think).  I am guessing that maybe this is the reason that the military must be able to pass random drug tests, but it is possible that no one has thought to challenge that yet.

"How is this unconstitutional yet it's okay that every working person had to pass a drug test in order to support those on welfare?"  This is false because
A) I didn't have to pass a drug test to get or keep my job. I am guessing that if I fell down the stairs and needed to go to the hospital that I would be tested there to receive worker's compensation, but I don't know that. The only drug tests I have ever had to take were when I was active duty and I wasn't bright enough to tell them NO!
B) I didn't take my job nor do I keep it to support people on welfare. I took and keep it to support myself and my family and I pay my taxes so that the government can give a helping hand to those less fortunate than I.
C) Why would those on drugs not NEED welfare? All of their money is going to buy drugs. (That was supposed to be funny)

My thoughts and feelings on the subject:
A person who has spent his or her life being a contributing member of society and now is so far down on his or her luck that they need public assistance should not be kicked for being down. And why would we as a society do that to them? This law (as far as I can ascertain) is ONLY for those who need TEMPORARY assistance. TANF = Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. So a single person does not qualify for this. Only a family. With children. So those parents are now required to pay for drug testing instead of buying diapers or wipes or food. Sure if they pass the drug test they get that money back, but how long will that take? This is supposed to be for the children. And forcing their parents to drug test is not in their best interest. IF the parents ARE on drugs, what? No food for the kids? Or are we then going to remove the children from the household and put them into an already overburded foster care system that has just been sliced to the bone? That's going to save the state money, isn't it?

Random drug testing doesn't work. Ok, it does catch the occasional pot smoker, but how long can a person be tested for THC after they have smoked? I think for a full time smoker it's 30 days. So on day 29, this person who has cleaned up their act still can't have help? What if I snort cocaine? If I snort RIGHT NOW, I can pass a drug test before next week. And what if I abuse prescription pain pills? Elvis Presley would have only failed a drug test once or twice in his life (Priscilla admits in her book "Elvis and Me" that they tried LSD at least once in the 60s), but how many drugs were in his system on that fateful day in 1977? And testing for everything in the world is almost impossible and EXPENSIVE. Are they going to test me to if I huff paint? Where will it stop? I accidentally took my son's muscle relaxer thinking it was my Midol and you are going to penalize me for that?

What happens to the false positives? I was told when I was active duty to not eat poppy seeds, because they can cause a false positive in a drug test. I don't know for how long. Is it another 30 day thing? Now people who do not take drugs have to PROVE THEIR INNOCENCE. Is that another constitutional thing?
I find it completely amazing that the "party of small government and fiscal conservatism" only wants small government when it comes to them and their families. Or other people of means. But they want to blame this entire recession and economic crisis on POOR PEOPLE and the ELDERLY and punish them by taking away the very benefits that keep them alive, food and health care. (Not going to start on how much the Republicans hate women, that is an entirely new note).  This is government expansion on the most basic level (people's right to EAT) and yet the internet is celebrating like we've discovered a cure for cancer.
Originally this law proposed only allowing those who were to be tested to have it done at a specific clinic if within a certain distance. And if that clinic happens to be in the name of Mrs. Rick Scott (no idea what her first name is, don't care enough to look it up) and it was formerly in the name of Mr. Rick Scott... what difference does it make, right?

Here's a thought! Why don't we start new poorhouses and shove these poor people in them? They DON'T WANT TO WORK, they just want to sit on their butts and keep popping out babies, right? We can put their children in orphanages run by the state, because.. you know.. that's healthy.
Or an ever better thought "Welfare Reality" Those who think they have the right to eat on money provided by Hard Working Americans can BEG for it on national TV. We can vote. "Decide to eats this week and who goes home hungry!"

Look, I hate welfare. But more than I hate it, I hate the NEED for it. I hate the fact that we, as a society, are failing to provide jobs for each and every person who wants one, or needs one (because I don't WANT to work!) at a rate of pay that allows them the basic necessities of life - a roof, food, clothes, transportation, health insurance, a little pocket change, and an emergency savings.

You can call me names. Liberal. Democrat. Tree Hugger. Socialist. I am all of those things and none of them. But you can't say that I am a person who has any interest in stepping on people who are already down or who has a problem lending a helping hand.

I posted this in a note on Facebook because I was tired of typing the same things over and over and over. But I hadn't taken time to do any blog posts lately, so I thought I would share it with you too!

Not Just Orange County!

Tricky Ricky has not yet signed the budget, according to this story published yesterday in the Orlando Sentinel, but the cuts this article speaks about is not anywhere close to all of the cuts projected in this budget. These just happen to show how much our wonderful governor loves the people in this state.. especially those who are the most in need.

Where are we cutting dollars in my formerly great state (excepting the 2000 election and the humiliation over Terri Schiavo, of course)?

Women with high risk pregnancies.
People with disabilities.
Nursing home patients.
The children. (And the senior citizens who help them.)

I constantly post sarcastic comments on FB thanking those who voted for this yahoo.  So far no one has said, "You're welcome," but I keep hoping someone will take the blame.

And yet this DipSh1t masquerading as governor has promised to reduce my property taxes.  From less than $800 a year to WHAT exactly? It isn't like I am paying through the nose.

No Sex! No Jobs! No High Speed Rail!

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The Finish Line?

I am really close for this particular race anyway.  While this term does not officially end until Sunday the 15th, I am going to take my second exam tonight and be finished! Yay! No more school until the 23rd. My brain feels relief already.

My plans are to garden (who ate fresh green beans on Saturday), read something totally brainless about people and love and lust and murder, spend some time with the Lovely Lola, who turned 3 last week with no post from me, and sleep. Oh, and maybe post once or twice.

With everything going on in Florida (shhhh, uterus is a dirty word), Washington, and the world, just trying to keep up is exhausting,  but maybe I will be able to form real sentences in a day or so. Maybe!

I hope everyone's Mother's Day was fantastic.

Did you know that all children (even if you did not birth them yourself) developed (originally) in a uterus?

Shhhh, don't tell!

Keeping Busy!

I should be working, but I thought that maybe a few minutes to catch up with my reading is in order. I do appreciate the kind comments that all of you leave and I try to return the favor... when I have some free time.


My plan was to start with a lovely picture of my lovely green garden to allow you to see the raised box filled with soil, lovely green bean plants that may take over, onions, radishes, peas, cucumbers, squash,  turnips, and brocolli. YUM! Plus the 5 gallon buckets standing along side the bed holding my tomato plants. There are more tomatoes, and some peppers, but they are not seen in the picture. Why won't blogger let me upload my pretty picture?  I will keep trying, but I may have to do it from another computer.


I've tried again, but it just isn't happening.


In the comments from the last post Carl asked if I could post a link to the newspaper article, or post the article. I could not find a link to it, and my scanner doesn't produce JPEGs and Blogger doesn't read PDFs (why not?), but I will try to use another scanner and see what I can do.


In Week 5 of Term IV now, getting close to the Revolutionary War in Colonial History, learning the basics of Political Science in the other class (I can't ever remember the name), took one mid-term last Wednesday (how long does it take to grade?) and another tonight.. probably. I need to start the paper that is due next Tuesday (I've chosen to look at how Ireland is doing in a growing global economy... since it had to be bailed out last year) and finish reading the book for the other paper.


Work is crazy. I would still be here even if the rest of the government had completely shut down last Friday, because I am a contract employee. Of course we've been living on extension after extension of the contract, but I think that is coming to an end. I should have a new employer by the end of next month.  Same job, new employer. I hope that will help with the issues that I have had on and off around here for the last couple of years. Maybe it will ensure that other people are required to actually be here for 40 hours a week. Maybe.


Things are bad in my wonderful state and while I write letters and make phone calls, I am stuck firmly over here in Right Wing Country, where people love them some Tricky Ricky. Not everyone is crazy about the goings on in Tallahassee, these lovely grannies are probably not going to get a recording contract, but I would love to find a bumper sticker:

Thank you to Hen's Teeth

But while laughter is the best medicine, knowing that teachers, firefighters, police officers, and all state workers are losing ground every day isn't funny. Neither is the attack on my body parts. And knowing that there isn't much than can be done until January 2013 makes me a little sick to my stomach. Will I even be employable then? Or will Sharia Law be in place.. or the "christian" version of it.

I have more to say, but now Blogger won't let me change the font color, and I am finished with lunch, so I need to get back to work. I hope your states are all doing better than mine!

Oh By the Way

My rally/protest was OK. People showed up & not JUST people I had threatened... STRANGERS.
And there was a nice write-up in the paper that made me seem intelligent... until the last line. Still it was nice.

And for some reason, I can't get this Comedy Central video to embed, so be brave and click the link. It's The Daily Show where Jon Stewart explains how stupid most of the new governors are.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-march-24-2011/gov-hurts?xrs=synd_facebook

And BabyBoy's friend will be fine, although not going to Universal this month.

Little Bits of This and That

I am stuck at work for another half hour, because I went to the going away luncheon of someone I didn't really like and it took TWO hours. It doesn't make a lot of sense for me to be here when the docs are not, but there is so much that does not make sense already, that I do not have time to concern myself with this one.

Coming to the end of Week 2 of Term IV. I am taking my introductary Political Science class, because, I still have one more to go... class that is. And I have to have a certain number of classes actually taken at Troy, so I decided a History minor would go well for me. And I am considering getting the Master's in History instead of Poli Sci, but who knows? I only know that the politics of the world make no sense, and I feel like I need to DO something. But what? With history, people should have DONE something, but I can't change it now.

Why are we bombing the snot out of Libya? It has nothing to do with the people of Libya, because there is mass slaughter all over the globe every day and we do nothing.  Couldn't that money be spent on helping Japan? Or Haiti? Or New Jersey? (That was a joke!)

Did you know that the lungs of healthy, tall, skinny people can just COLLAPSE? Wow. BabyBoy was leaving after work this afternoon to go spend a couple of days visiting Hogwarts (where I was supposed to take him in January, but we went to DC in October instead) and he isn't going because his buddy's lung just collapsed this morning. The friend is at the hospital and will be for a bit. The MDs and PhDs explained it to me but what I retained is that the lining of the lungs of tall, skinny people are very very thin & they always have extra liquid in and around their organs. I've never been tall and skinny, and now I am neither, but that is a little disconcerting.

Why can't Congress pass a budget? Why are they so concerned about women's uteruses? What the hell happened to my precious state? Attempting to get rid of all the teachers, not paying the ones that are left, drug testing welfare recipients? WTF?

My half hour is up. I have to read about 75 pages tonight on how technology has made the world flat.

OH! And DSD is now EMPLOYED! Thank you for all of your happy thoughts! I think he may be working for the same company, in the same department where Fallenmonk works!

Awake the State!

Tuesday March 8, 2011 is the first day of the new Florida legislature. What have they been doing in the two months since they were sworn in? Who the heck knows? But so far all they seem to have managed is to annoy the crap out of a lot of people.

Rick Scott says no to high speed rail and the jobs and billions of dollars it will provide.. even after Senator Bill Nelson managed to get the towns on the I4 corridor to guarantee the additional money needed so the state will not be on the hook.

Senator Don Gaetz has introduced a bill declaring that medicaid recipients should be forced to lose weight, and stop smoking and drinking or stop receiving coverage.

Florida's proposed budget is set to drop all corporate taxes and property taxes (mine runs less than $800.00 a year) AND to cut funding to education, prisons, police forces, firefighters, and many OTHER public workers, while requiring them to pay more for health care and their retirement.

Does anyone else thing I have possibly moved to Wisconsin?

Well, I'm mad and I'm not going to take it anymore.

I will be at the Destin Commons next Tuesday night. I will be holding a sign. I may be holding a microphone. I have to get off Blogger and call the news media. It's time for Floridians to stand up and shout that we LIKE our middle class. We LIKE our teachers.

AWAKE THE STATE!

I signed on the organize this thing.. and now I am having heart palpitations!

Congratulations Governor Scott

In a couple of days shy of two months in office you have managed to force a miracle. TRUE bipartisanship is occuring in our great state. Democrats and Republicans from the I4 corridor are coming together in a beautiful gesture... but filing a lawsuit against the governor. And introducing legislation that will allow a citizen recall.

Kind of brings a tear to your eye, doesn't it?

Protests/Rallies being scheduled all over the state next week. No one seems to be interested in NW Florida. Watch out. I am considering doing it myself!